To the Editor.—From February 1986 to December 1987 our clinic analyzed stool specimens from 209 Peace Corps volunteers. Volunteers are posted to villages in rural areas throughout Nepal. Most volunteers spend 27 months in the country. Approximately 30% live in the Terai (subtropical lowlands) and the rest live in the middle hill region of the country. The predominant illness in volunteers is diarrheal disease, which accounts for more than 50% of clinic visits.In this study, we estimated the prevalence of helminthic infection and reviewed the length of time in the country prior to infection.

Study.—A total of 209 volunteers submitted 994 specimens during their tours. Forty-one specimens were positive for helminths, 2 of which represented recurrent infections. There were no mixed helminthic infections, although helminths were found in association with other pathogens in 8 samples. Of the 209 volunteers, 29 (14%) had positive stool samples for